CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE Amid growing evidence that repeated concussions and
blows to the head can have long-term, possibly fatal outcomes, local
concussion experts are working to better inform people about head
injuries.

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Specialists at Cape Regional Medical Centers Concussion Center are gearing
up for fall sports season injuries, typically to student athletes
although adults and seniors can have such injuries all year.

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More awareness about head injuries is needed.

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Theres a misconception that concussions are strictly due to sports
injuries, but we have a program and treatments that serve kids and adults
who get concussions just as much from falls and car accidents, too, said
A.J. Weiss, concussion center rehabilitation and treatment manager.

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Gov. Chris Christie earlier this year signed a law designating the third
Thursday of September as Concussion Awareness Day in New Jersey.
Legislators said they hoped awareness would lead to education about the
serious consequences of concussions, treatment and resources.

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Of the 2.8 million traumatic brain injury-related emergency department
visits and hospitalizations in 2013, most were concussions, according to
the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about 300,000
children who were treated in a single year for a concussion or brain
injury got hurt while playing sports or in recreation.

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Scientists have explored more about concussions in recent years,
especially as high rates of head injuries are found in sports such as
football. Researchers have looked into how repeated head injuries and
concussions could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative
brain disease.

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A report published in July in the Journal of the American Medical
Association by Dr. Ann McKee, chief neurologist of VA Boston Healthcare
System and director of the CTE Center at Boston University, said 110 of
111 brains of deceased National Football League players were found to have
CTE.

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Part of what we do for education is informing people about second impact
syndrome, which can be fatal, Weiss said. It happens when someone sustains
a second concussion before the first one heals, and that could lead to
weeks or months of therapy, permanent damage, or worst case, death.